Starbucks Medical City: The Place for Comfort Coffee

After dinner last Sunday, Mom suddenly felt very sick, and for a moment blacked out. Although her allergies make her ill almost after every meal, this one was a particularly alarming after effect. So we rushed her to the nearest hospital, The Medical City in Ortigas.

In the Emergency Room, Mom was attached to an ECG machine and her heart was being monitored. She felt much better, and all we were waiting for was confirmation that there was no effect on the heart. Her blood was taken to test for a certain enzyme which is excreted when a heart attack occurs, which we were praying did not happen.

While waiting, Mom said she wanted coffee, and it was a good thing that there was a branch of Starbucks within the hospital compound. Thus I went, and ordered her favorite, a Venti Mocha Frappuccino with a shot of Mint Syrup. The result is a refreshing and cooling iced blended coffee that has a good balance of bitter and sweet.

It's a small and quaint cafe, around 4 tables only. It seems meant to be a take-away kind of place. At that time, only a few other customers were there, and two baristas were very pleasant and accommodating in their work. Service was prompt and quick.

I had a few minutes to look through their magazines, and picked out one that stood out, MpH. It's much larger print format does make it stick out in the magazine stand like a sore thumb. Took a while for me to realize it as a familiar old issue, one of late last year where I had a review of a Palm OS game. I'd strongly suggest getting newer reading material for this branch.

It was an overall good experience, and the few minutes I spent in this branch were well spent. Mom loved the coffee, and seeing her enjoy the minty frappuccino while stuck in a hospital bed with wires connected to her chest, was a good image to see. Her gleaming smile and brighter eyes showed how the Frappucinno made the hospital experience bearable.

Thank GOD, tests showed no trace of that enzyme, meaning that Mom did not have a heart attack. In a few minutes we were home and in the family room. After changing into house clothes, Pop and I had our own cups of Java, freshly ground on our machine. But that's another story.

Coffee and a movie are a good combination

One thing I do love about watching a movie in Eastwood City cinemas is that a coffee shop is literally only a short distance away... Starbucks. Also, right next door is a large pool and bowling hall, so if you're in the mood for that and need a caffeine fix, then this is the quick solution.

Along the hallway towards the cinemas lies a tiny, very open Starbucks mini-branch. I mean really small, only around 5 tables, and a pastry display almost bare. No doors to separate the sound from the busy hallway, either. So this wouldn't be the ideal place for a meeting or an intimate chat.

But it is a coffee shop, nonetheless. So like myself, you can come in and grab your usual Starbucks drink before popping in for a movie. After a long day as I usually have, it was quite a relaxing experience sitting in a comfy movie chair, watching the much-awaited Superman Returns, and sipping my large Cafe latte with Non-fat milk. Chelley, my girlfriend in tow in the next seat, enjoyed her fave drink as well, the regular Coffee Frappuccino Lite.

Also, it's always a nice touch when people go out of their way to try to greet people properly and show respect for guests and customers. So far, there's one barista here who always seems to be a pleasant chap to converse with. For customer service, this branch deserves high marks. Can't remember his name though, when I find out I'll update this post.

So, when you find yourself watching a movie in Eastwood Cinemas this is a good place to stop off for some snacks and drinks while you wait for movie time.

Been Awhile

Well it has been a hectic couple of weeks since my last post. After many days and hours of studying, and completing two articles, a report and a midterm exam, I'm back. So I'm catching up with posts on one Gloria Jean's, one Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and two Starbucks branches.


Oh and I've decided to do a post on one of my favorite drinks, Teh Tarik!

Oh and I changed the layout template of the blog, which removed my ads and counter links, so I'll have to fix that again... Bugger, Oh well.

Blogging at Gloria Jean's Fort

As I'm writing this, I'm at the Gloria Jeans Coffee Shop in the Fort. Sitting in the corner, enjoying the jazzy music and the decent number of customers is keeping the chatter at a bearable level.

I'm literally a yard or so away from the coffee grinding machine, so every so often I get to relish on the aroma of a freshly ground batch of beans. The convenience of this place is attractive to marathon customers like me, who enjoy a quaint place to stay for hours on end, reading or chatting with friends. The open fields give a great view of the Makati CBD in the distance, and for a moment you feel severed from the daily grind of the severely congested concrete jungle that is the Megalopolis of Manila.

My only gripes are that the lighting isnt bright enough, and this particular table is wobbly, and a mosquito is bugging me, but other than that a good place to lounge in.

Rainy as it is, I may opt for a hot tea or my all-time favorite jolt of caffeine, the cafe latte. That brownie they just heated up in the microwave is smelling pretty good. Hope my wallet and my will power can resist... I'll let you know my decision on that one later on.

Oh, and WIFI access is great, with airborneaccess, my speeds are literally flying! The bandwidth test I conducted courtesy of the online test of PLDT Play showed that the WIFI speed I have now is at a soaring 610.8kbps. WIFI is pricey though, good thing I have a two month unlimited card that was given free!

Another pro of having a meeting, chat session with friends, or study group here is the flat rate parking, set at only 10 pesos for the whole day. In this day and age, hourly parking can become quite pricey, and one is forced to remain on the lookout for economical solutions.

Oh well, I have to get back to work, it's been a long day and with the work I have to do, the day is long from ending. Oh and by the way, my will prevailed on the brownie. All I got was the latte! :)

Greetings and Salutations!

Hey everyone, this is my first ever post on this blog, and I'd like to say that this is a cool way to share how the phenomenon of coffee has become a necessity in my everyday life, and has spurned the rise of billion dollar corporations.

As an MBA-Law student at the De La Salle University-Far Eastern University consortium, studying in coffee specialty shops have become almost a daily event. Many hours have been spent, thousands of calories ingested, hundreds of coffee shop songs heard, and many frequent customer privilege cards filled out, and I have developed a true love for the variants of coffee and tea, their accompanying pastries and snacks, and the wholistic experience.

Throughout these experiences, I will talk about the different quirks and perks of certain shops, the best places to grab a quick caffeine reload, have a business meeting, meet a friend for a chat, or like in my case, spend hours of study.

Hope you'll all enjoy the journey as I will. GOD bless! :)